Meet Waffle the Bear - a tubby little amigurumi you can finish in an afternoon. The whole bear is one piece. You start with a foundation chain instead of a magic ring, build the body in single crochet with a few increases and decreases, then sew on two small arms, two little ears, and a white muzzle with an embroidered nose. The finished bear is about 3.5 inches tall and stands on its own rounded base.
Annabelle from Little World of Whimsy walks the whole pattern in real time. If you've already crocheted one amigurumi - even something basic like our crochet sphere or the classic beginner whale - you can finish this bear today.
What you'll need
The version in the video uses two balls of WeCrochet Brava sport-weight yarn (one lavender, one white) and a 3.25 mm Clover Amour hook. You can use worsted-weight yarn instead if you size up your hook to about 4 mm - the bear will just come out a bit bigger. Stick to sport-weight if you want the snug, dense fabric that hides the stuffing.
You'll also need 6 mm safety eyes (the small ones - 9 mm read too cartoony on a bear this size), polyester fiberfill, stitch markers, a tapestry needle, and a few sewing pins to hold the pieces in place before sewing them on.
Stitch abbreviations
The pattern uses standard amigurumi shorthand:
- ch - chain
- sc - single crochet
- inc - increase (two single crochets in one stitch)
- dec - invisible decrease (working through the front loops of the next two stitches)
- MR - magic ring (used for the arms, ears, and muzzle - see our magic ring walkthrough if you're new to it)
Why a foundation chain instead of a magic ring
Most amigurumi animals start with a magic ring, which builds a perfect circle. This bear starts with a chain-7 foundation worked into both sides of the chain, which builds an oval. That oval is what gives the bear its slightly elongated, tubby shape instead of being perfectly round. The rest of the body grows outward from that oval, so the whole bear keeps a hint of width through the middle.
Choosing your color
Lavender is the version in the video, but the same pattern works in any color. Brown gives you a classic teddy. White makes a polar bear. Black with a white muzzle is a panda. If you swap colors mid-body the bear will read as a different animal - cream + a brown muzzle and you've basically got a hamster.
More amigurumi animals to try next
Once you've finished your bear, you've got the technique to make every other amigurumi animal on the site. They all use the same shape language - single crochet in continuous rounds, plus a few signature features.
Tips before you start
Work tighter than you think you need to. Loose amigurumi shows the stuffing through the gaps. If you can see your finger through the fabric when you hold a finished round up to the light, drop down a hook size.
Keep a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round. The whole bear is worked in a continuous spiral with no joins, so the marker is the only way to know where each round starts and ends.
Pin the muzzle, ears, and arms onto the body before you sew anything. The muzzle should sit centered, with its top edge level with the top of the eyes. The ears go on top of the head with a slight curve. The arms sit roughly halfway down the body. If something looks off, move the pin - you can't easily undo a sewn-on piece.
